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Flavonoids play an important role in forming wine grapes and wine quality characteristics. The flavonoids of three winter red wine grapes, Yeniang No. 2 (YN2), Marselan (Mar), and Guipu No. 6 (GP6), were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QQQ-MS). Furthermore, the flavonoids in GP6 grapevines using two types of training systems, namely, trellis (T) and espaliers (E), were also compared in this study. Overall, 196 flavonoid metabolites, including 96 flavones, 38 flavonols, 19 flavanones, 18 polyphenols, 15 anthocyanins, 7 isoflavones, and 3 proanthocyanidins, were identified. The flavonoid profiles were remarkably different among these three grape varieties, while they did not change much in the GP6 managed on trellis and espaliers. Grape varieties with different genetic backgrounds have their own unique flavonoid profiles. Compared with Mar-T, isoflavones and flavonols presented higher contents in GP6-T and YN2-T, which mainly contain glycitein, genistin, calycosin, kaempferide, isotrifoliin, and ayanin. The anthocyanin content was significantly higher in YN2-T than in the other two varieties. YN2 and GP6-T present a more stable color, with significantly more acetylated diglucosides and methylated anthocyanins in YN2-T and GP6-T than in Mar-T. Notably, GP6 had more varied flavonoids and the better characteristics to its flavonoid profile out of these three varieties, due to it containing a higher number of anthocyanins, flavone, and flavonols and the greatest number of different flavonoid metabolites (DFMs), with higher contents than YN2 and Mar. Compared with the trellis training system, the espaliers training system increased the content of flavonoids detected in GP6 grape berries; however, the composition of flavonoids strictly depends on the grape variety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • TRV-VIGS was successfully used on Juglans sigillata aseptic seedlings. • TRV-VIGS was successfully used on Juglans sigillata fruits. • The functional differences of homologous genes in green husk were evaluated. Juglans sigillata Dode is one of the important tree species in southwest China, and it has significant economic and ecological value. However, there is still a lack of effective methods to identify the functional genes of J. sigillata. By verifying the model plant tobacco, the pTRV2::JsPDS vector was able to cause photobleaching. This study showed that photobleaching occurred 24 and 30 d after the silencing vector was infected with aseptic seedlings and fruits of J. sigillata , respectively. When the OD 600 was 0.6, and the injection dose was 500 μL, the gene silencing efficiency of aseptic seedlings was the highest at 16.7 %, significantly better than other treatments. Moreover, when the OD 600 was 0.8, and the injection dose was 500 μL, the gene silencing efficiency in the walnut fruit was the highest (20 %). In addition, the VIGS system was successfully used to silence JsFLS2 and JsFLS4 genes in J. sigillata. This study also showed that the flavonol content and gene expression in the treatment group were decreased compared to the control group. In addition, the proteins transcribed and translated from the JsFLS4 gene may have higher catalytic activity for dihydroquercetin. The above results indicate that the TRV-mediated VIGS system can be an ideal tool for studying J. sigillata gene function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the clinical effects of interactive dynamic scalp acupuncture (IDSA), simple combination therapy (SCT), and traditional scalp acupuncture (TSA) on cognitive function, depression and anxiety in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment. Methods: A total of 660 patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment who were admitted to 3 hospitals in Shenzhen City between May 2017 and May 2020 were recruited and randomly assigned to the IDSA (218 cases), SCT (222 cases) and TSA groups (220 cases) according to a random number table. All the patients received conventional drug therapy for cerebral stroke and exercise rehabilitation training. Scalp acupuncture and computer-based cognitive training (CBCT) were performed simultaneously in the IDSA group, but separately in the morning and in the afternoon in the SCT group. The patients in the TSA group underwent scalp acupuncture only. The course of treatment was 8 weeks. Before treatment (M0), 1 (M1) and 2 months (M2) after treatment, as well as follow-up at 1 (M3) and 2 months (M4), the cognitive function of patients was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA) Scales; depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and self-care ability of patients were assessed using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Modified Barthel Index (MBI), respectively. During this trial, all adverse events (AEs) were accurately recorded. Results: There were no significant differences in the MMSE, MoCA, HAMD, HAMA, PSQI, and MBI scores among the 3 groups at M0 (all P>0.05). In the IDSA group, the MMSE, MoCA and MBI scores from M2 to M4 were significantly higher than those in the SCT and TSA groups, while the HAMD, HAMA and PSQI scores were significantly reduced (all P<0.01). The changes of all above scores (M2-M0, M4-M0) were significantly superior to those in the SCT and TSA groups (all P<0.01, except M4-M0 of HAMD). At M2, the severity of MMSE, HAMD, HAMA, PSQI and MBI in the IDSA group was significantly lower than that in the SCT and TSA groups (all P<0.01). There was no serious AE during this trial. Conclusions: IDSA can not only significantly improve cognitive function, but also reduce depression, anxiety, which finally improves the patient's self-care ability. The effect of IDSA was significantly better than SCT and TSA. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR1900027206) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Between 2018 and 2020, 989 clinical specimens from pigs showing clinical signs of a variety of swine diseases in 27 provinces in China were sampled and submitted for further testing. Nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and subsequent sequencing were used to analyse these specimens. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae-positive samples were assayed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The aim of the study was to reveal the distribution of M. hyopneumoniae and determine the genotypes of M. hyopneumoniae in pig herds in China based on MLST. Results: Among these 989 samples, 199 samples were M. hyopneumoniae-positive. The M. hyopneumoniae positivity rate was 7.2% (35/494) in 2018, 18.4% (38/207) in 2019, and 43.8% (126/288) in 2020. In total, 47 samples were successfully assayed by MLST. Sixteen new M. hyopneumoniae sequence types from 9 provinces were recorded in the present study. Conclusions: This is the first report on sample positivity rates and molecular typing results for M. hyopneumoniae in swine herds in China. MLST has revealed high genotype diversity among M. hyopneumoniae from different provinces of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threading dislocations (TDs) in GaAs/Si epitaxial layers due to the lattice mismatch seriously degrade the performance of the lasers grown on silicon. The insertion of InAs quantum dots (QDs) acting as dislocation filters is a pretty good alternative to solving this problem. In this paper, a finite element method (FEM) is proposed to calculate the critical condition for InAs/GaAs QDs bending TDs into interfacial misfit dislocations (MDs). Making a comparison of elastic strain energy between the two isolated systems, a reasonable result is obtained. The effect of the cap layer thickness and the base width of QDs on TD bending are studied, and the results show that the bending area ratio of single QD (the bending area divided by the area of the QD base) is evidently affected by the two factors. Moreover, we present a method to evaluate the bending capability of single-layer QDs and multi-layer QDs. For the QD with 24-nm base width and 5-nm cap layer thickness, taking the QD density of 1011 cmâˆ'2 into account, the bending area ratio of single-layer QDs (the area of bending TD divided by the area of QD layer) is about 38.71%. With inserting five-layer InAs QDs, the TD density decreases by 91.35%. The results offer the guidelines for designing the QD dislocation filters and provide an important step towards realizing the photonic integration circuits on silicon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence of the association between marital status and cognitive function in Chinese older adults is limited. Aims: To examine the relationship between marital status and cognitive function and to explore the role of gender amongst older adults from three Chinese communities. Methods: A total of 1376 participants aged 60 years or over were included in this cross-sectional study. Cognitive function was assessed using the Chinese version of the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). Marital status and other variables were collected using a standardized questionnaire. Multiple linear regression models were used to examine associations between marital statuses and cognitive function amongst the target population. The moderating role of gender in these potential associations has also been explored. Results: In univariate linear regression models, compared to being married, both being widowed (β [95% CI]: −1.46[−2.78 to − 0.13]) and being single (β [95% CI]: − 4.88[−6.43 to − 3.38]) were associated with lower MMSE scores. After adjustment for confounding factors, the significant association of being widowed with MMSE scores disappeared (β [95% CI: − 0.08[− 1.04 to 0.86]), but the association of being single with MMSE scores still existed (β [95% CI]: − 1.87[− 3.17 to − 0.58]). Furthermore, the association of being single with MMSE scores was statistically significant in men (β [95% CI]: − 5.25[− 7.17 to − 3.33]) but not in women (β [95% CI: 0.88[− 0.87 to 2.64]). Discussion and conclusions: Being single was associated with poorer cognitive function compared with their married counterparts in older Chinese men but not in women. More preventive measurements should be implemented for single men to reduce or delay cognitive decline. This is particularly important in the context of an aging population in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although exposure to antibiotics at a critical developmental time window has been implicated in mental health in observational and experimental studies, very limited bio-monitoring data are available for exposure to antibiotics associated with child mental disorders. The goal of our study was to examine the association between urinary exposure of children to antibiotics and mental health. The participants were 278 children from 256 eligible families in the urban–rural fringe of Fuyang city in China since June in 2017. A single-point urine sample was collected to measure the antibiotic concentrations to characterize the exposure levels. A total of 45 antibiotics from nine classes and their two metabolites were monitored through liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. We used multivariable regressions to estimate the covariate-adjusted associations between urine–antibiotic concentrations and mental impairments, as assessed using the parent version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Among the participants, ciprofloxacin was associated with an increased risk of mental disorders at both lower concentrations (OR = 4.06; 95% CI 1.69–9.78) and higher concentrations OR = 6.04; 95% CI 2.59–14.08). After categorizing the detected antibiotics, the positive associations were observed between abnormal score in total difficulties and higher levels exposure to fluoroquinolones (OR = 2.83, 95% CI 1.38–5.80) and antibiotics preferred for veterinary use (PVAs) (OR = 3.20; 95% CI 1.41–7.27), respectively. Our findings suggest that ciprofloxacin, fluoroquinolones and PVAs, probably from contaminated food or environment, may be associated with child mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The performance of primary health care providers regarding DM management is poor in rural China, and effective training methods for providers are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of web-based training for improving knowledge about DM management among primary health care providers in rural China and to further compare the effects of the training effect between primary health care providers with different backgrounds. Methods: A pre-post intervention study was conducted from April to August 2014. In this study, a total of 901 primary health care workers were recruited from six counties in Hubei province. To evaluate the effect of the web-based training, the knowledge achievement of participants was measured with multiple choice questions (MCQ) at baseline, at the end of two weeks of training and at three months after training. A mixed linear model (MLM) was used to measure group differences in the mean scores at baseline and follow-up. Results: After the web-based training, the knowledge scores of the village doctors increased from 73.58 at baseline to 89.98 at posttest and to 84.57 three months after the training. For township health workers, we observed an upward trend in scores from 78.87 at the pre-test to 91.72 at the second test, and at the three months after the training, the scores increased to 94.91. For village doctors, greater knowledge achievement was observed between the scores at baseline and after two weeks of training(adjusted difference: 3.55, P = 0.03) compared to that observed for the township health workers, while decreased their knowledge achievement between baseline and the third-test compared with that of township health workers (adjusted difference: 5.05, P = 0.01). Conclusions: This study suggested that web-based training was an effective method for improving the knowledge of primary health care providers about management of DM in remote areas. Compared with the effect of the training on village doctors, the training had a poor short-term effect on township health workers but a better long-term effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aims and objectives: To evaluate the effect of an Internet‐based home orthopaedic care platform on patients’ functional joint recovery, quality of life and activities of daily living after hip replacement. Background: Most of the functional exercises after arthroplasty are performed outside the hospital. At present, the WeChat platform is used mainly in the inland of China for continuous nursing of patients with chronic disease in the Department of Orthopedics. Design: An experimental design was applied. Methods: Four hundred patients who had undergone hip replacement from April to October 2016 were selected from 18 hospitals with nurse specialists in clinical orthopaedics. These patients were randomised into control and intervention groups (n = 200 per group). In the control group, only routine nursing care was carried out after discharge. In the intervention group, continuous intervention was performed via the Internet‐based orthopaedic care platform. The patients in the two groups were compared in terms of functional recovery (Harris hip score), quality‐of‐life score (MOS SF‐36) and activities of daily living (Barthel index) at 3 and 6 months after discharge. Results: In total, 389 patients were enrolled in this study. There were no significant differences in the baseline data between the two groups. After 6 months of continuous intervention, the mean MOS SF‐36 score, Barthel index and Harris hip score in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Conclusion: The study gives full play to the role of clinical nurse specialists and provides professional home care services to patients in the region after hip replacement through home care orthopaedic platform. The platform guides the patients to master the correct disease knowledge and rehabilitation exercise methods, promotes the recovery of joint function, improves the activity of daily living, elevates the quality of life and meets the need of long‐term management. Relevance to clinical practice: Internet and home care orthopaedic platform is a nursing system designed specifically for extended care management outside of the hospital, which is helpful for patients who undergone hip replacement to obtain effective home care services after discharge, improving patients’ quality of life and rehabilitation efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the event of TU You-you winning the Nobel Prize, this paper briefly reviewed the history of formation and development of policies on Chinese medicine (CM) in China. On the basis of analyzing the causes of policies on CM, it is believed that policies on CM in China may have 4 kinds of enlightenments to the development of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the world. Forming the political advantages of policy-making by main leaders of the country attaching importance to CAM; implementing a diversified health care system policy for the goal of maximizing people’s health interests; ensuring development of CAM by the coerciveness of law and the timeliness of policy adjustment; and promoting the protection and mining, sorting out and improving of CAM based on open and comprehensive policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To in vestigate potential gender differences in the odds of overweight/obese, weight-related perceptions, and behaviors among Chinese school children. Methods Height, weight, and a survey of weight-related perceptions and behaviors were measured in a nationally representative survey of 12,811 children in primary schools in China. Logistic regression analyses were used to assess gender differences, adjusting for confounders. Results Boys had higher odds of being overweight/obese compared to girls within both urban [adjusted odds ratio ( OR ) 2.30, 95% CI 2.00 to 2.65] and rural areas ( OR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.20). Girls reported healthier diets (e.g., daily vegetables OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.85) whereas boys consumed fried food ( OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.38) and sugar-sweetened drinks more often ( OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.65). Gender differences included higher odds of boys perceiving themselves as overweight if they had more highly educated mothers ( OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.68), less educated fathers ( OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.99), and if they frequently consumed carbonated drinks ( OR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.05). Conclusion Childhood obesity prevention in China should be gender-focused, particularly for boys who reported an unhealthier diet but were less likely to see they were fat, even though more boys were overweight or obese than girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Models of speech production often abstract away from shared physiology in pitch control and lingual articulation, positing independent control of tone and vowel units. We assess the validity of this assumption in Mandarin Chinese by evaluating the stability of lingual articulation for vowels across variation in tone. Method: Electromagnetic articulography was used to track flesh points on the tongue (tip, body, dorsum), lips, and jaw while native Mandarin speakers (n = 6) produced 3 vowels, /pa/, /pi/, /pu/, combined with 4 Mandarin tones: T1 “high,” T2 “rising,” T3 “low,” and T4 “falling.” Results: Consistent with physiological expectations, tones that begin low, T2 and T3, conditioned a lower position of the tongue body for the vowel /a/. For the vowel /i/, we found the opposite effect, whereby tones that begin low, T2 and T3, conditioned a higher tongue body position. Conclusions: The physiology of pitch control exerts systematic variation on the lingual articulation of /a/ across tones. The effects of tone on /i/ articulation are in the opposite direction predicted by physiological considerations. Physiologically arbitrary variation of the type observed for /i/ challenges the assumption that phonetic patterns can be determined by independent control of tone (source) and vowel (filter) production units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of Wulingsan subtraction (五苓散加减 WLSS) decoction in the treatment of postoperative brain edema and fever as a complication of glioma neurosurgery. Methods. This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery of Liaocheng People’s Hospital. Patients hospitalized between March 2011 and December 2014 were divided into three groups: Group A received WLSS oral liquid (50 mL), twice a day; Group B received an intravenous infusion of mannitol; and Group C received WLSS combined with mannitol (n=30 patients per group). All patients were treated for 10 days continuously. Therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by measuring body temperature and indicators of renal function before and 3, 5, and 10 days after treatment. Results. Compared to the other two groups, significantly greater clinical efficacy was observed in the patients treated with mannitol (Group B; P<0.05), although marked clinical efficacy was also observed over time in patients treated with WLSS (Group A). After 5 days, the quantifiable effects of the WLSS and mannitol combination group (Group C) were substantial (P<0.05). The renal damage in Group B was more obvious after 5 days and 10 days. Conclusion. Compared with mannitol treatment alone, WLSS combined with mannitol induced a more rapid reduction in body temperature. Our findings suggest that patients should be started on mannitol for 3 days and then switched to WLSS to achieve obvious antipyretic effects and protect renal function. This method of treatment should be considered for clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To estimate the prevalence of elevated blood pressure (EBP) in Chinese children and identify individual and family factors associated with EBP. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in 2010 using stratified cluster sampling. Participants' blood pressure was measured, and their parents completed a questionnaire on personal and family characteristics. Prevalence and correlates of EBP were assessed. Results Among a total of 24,333 participants, 20.2% of boys and 16.3% of girls had EBP. The prevalence of EBP increased with the ascending trend of waist circumference, Waist-to-height ratio, and body mass index. The adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for obese boys and girls were 2.50 and 2.97, respectively. Fewer urban boys (16.2%) had EBP than rural boys (21.7%). Boys with a family history of hypertension were 12% more likely to have EBP. Children whose mothers received a college education tended to have lower likelihood of EBP; with an aPR was 0.85 among boys and 0.78 among girls. Conclusion EBP is common among obese students and those who have a family history of hypertension. A negative association between mothers' education levels and EBP risk in children was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has proven to be an effective approach for the subtyping isolates of the Cronobacter genus and to exhibit a high level of discrimination between isolates. In this study, 151 Cronobacter strains were isolated from different sources and provinces across China from 2010 to 2012 and analyzed by MLST. Their sequence type profiles were compared with strains from other countries which were widely geographically and temporally distributed. Out of 151 strains in this study, the majority of strains were Cronobacter sakazakii (70.9 %), C. malonaticus (15.9 %), C. dublinensis (10.6 %), C. turicensis (2.0 %), and C. muytjensii (0.7 %). The strains were divided into 85 sequence types (STs), among which only 17 had previously been reported in other countries. The 85 identified STs for the Cronobacter genus were grouped into 14 clonal complexes and 47 singletons according to eBURST algorithm. The Cronobacter isolated from China showed a high diversity when they were subtyped using the MLST method. When compared to the Cronobacter PubMLST database, some sequence types of strains cultured from food and/or water in this study were also the same with strains isolated from patients in other countries as reported previously. This result showed the potential hazard of strains contaminating water and weaning food from China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Internet is increasingly being applied in health education worldwide; however there is little knowledge of its use in Chinese higher education institutions. The present study provides the first review and highlights the deficiencies and required future advances in Chinese Internet-based health education. Methods Two authors independently conducted a duplicate Internet search in order to identify information regarding Internet-based health education in China. Results The findings showed that Internet-based education began in China in September 1998. Currently, only 16 of 150 (10.7%) health education institutions in China offer fee-based online undergraduate degree courses, awarding associates and/or bachelors degrees. Fifteen of the 16 institutions were located in the middle or on the eastern coast of China, where were more developed than other regions. Nursing was the most popular discipline in Internet-based health education, while some other disciplines, such as preventive medicine, were only offered at one university. Besides degree education, Chinese institutions also offered nondegree online training and free resources. The content was mainly presented in the form of PowerPoint slides or videos for self-learning. Very little online interactive mentoring was offered with any of the courses. Conclusions There is considerable potential for the further development of Internet-based health education in China. These developments should include a focus on strengthening cooperation among higher education institutions in order to develop balanced online health curricula, and on enhancing distance education in low- and middle-income regions to meet extensive learning demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhao Huanguang is one of the royalty descendants of Song Dynasty. His story of burying his father and his reclusion in Hanshan for decades leaves abundant historical and cultural heritage, which provides new approach and new clue to studying Tai Lake Culture. The profound background of Zhao's origin and his reclusion serves as a culture landmark which can help analyze and explain a lot of puzzles like the similarities and differences between the cultures in Wu District and in Yue District. As we know, harmony between man and nature is an important core of Chinese traditional culture which advocates man should love nature and stand in awe of nature. This thought marks human society's rethinking on modern civilization and identification with traditional culture. Thus, Tai Lake District will become a culture landmark with more extensive sense in the new historical circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main function region of the fusion (F) protein gene of 124 strains of Newcastle disease virus isolated from 2002 to 2004 in China was amplified and sequenced for further phylogenetic and residue substitutive analysis. Most of the isolates were classified into genotype VIIc, VIId, VIf, and VIb, while others into genotype IX, III, or II. The genotype IX, a unique genotype which includes strain F48, the first Chinese virulent NDV strain isolated in 1948, were still found inducing sporadic infections in certain areas. Subgenotype VIIc, VIId, and VIIe viruses, which were distributed in clusters in the phylogenetic tree distinct from members of subgenotypes VIIa and VIIb, were responsible for most outbreaks in China and circulated predominantly in China in recent years. Strain NDV03-026, an isolate of the genotype II which was normally lentogenic, was found carrying 112RRQKRF117 motif at the cleavage site of F protein as the virulent strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the comment of Rong-jue Wei concerning the omission of acoustics and related subjects in the curriculum of a physics major. China/United States Physics Examination and Application (CUSPEA); The lack of acoustics courses; Acoustics as a requisite part of basic physics training.

• There were 222 MYB genes from J. sigillata were identified. • JsMYB121 negatively regulated flavonoid synthesis, JsMYB148 slightly regulated flavonol synthesis, and JsMYB141 and JsMYB170 were main regulators of flavonol synthesis in J. sigillata fruit. • JsMYB141 positively regulated the expression levels of JsPAL, JsCHS, JsF3′H and JsFLS to improve the contents of myricetin and rutin. • JsMYB170 positively regulated the expression levels of JsCHS, JsCHI, JsFLS and JsDFR to increase the contents of quercetin, kaempferol and rutin. Juglans sigillata Dode is a unique walnut population that originated from China and is rich in flavonol. MYB transcription factors (TFs) are the main regulator of flavonol biosynthesis. It is necessary to conduct a genome-wide analysis of MYB TFs and identify members that regulate flavonols synthesis in J. sigillata Dode. We identified 222 JsMYBs genes and made a series of bioinformatics analyses on them. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that JsMYB121, JsMYB141, JsMYB148 and JsMYB170 encoded orthologs of AtMYB11, AtMYB12 and AtMYB111 which regulated flavonol synthesis in Arabidopsis. According to the results of correlation analysis, overexpression in calli and silence in green husks, we found that JsMYB121 negatively regulated flavonoid synthesis, JsMYB148 slightly regulated flavonol synthesis, and JsMYB141 and JsMYB170 were the main regulators of flavonol synthesis in J. sigillata fruit. JsMYB141 positively regulated the expression levels of JsPAL, JsCHS, JsF3′H and JsFLS to improve the contents of myricetin and rutin. And JsMYB170 positively regulated the expression levels of JsCHS, JsCHI, JsFLS and JsDFR to increase the contents of quercetin, kaempferol and rutin. Our study provided a comprehensive understanding of the JsMYBs gene family and identified JsMYBs regulating flavonol biosynthesis in J. sigillata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly contagious, intestinal infectious disease in pigs, characterized by severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. PED is widely epidemic in China as well as in many eastern Asian and America countries, causing tremendous losses in pig industry. However, little was known about the disease frequency and the associated risk factors of PED in pig farms. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the herd prevalence and to identify the potential risk factors of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) infection of pig farms (≥100 pigs) in Junan county, China. A two-stage random sampling strategy was adopted, and a total of 751 fecal samples from suckling piglets of 82 farms were collected and tested by RT-PCR and sequencing for PEDV. Meanwhile, information on the putative risk factors of PEDV infection of those farms were collected in forms of questionnaires, followed by a descriptive analysis, univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. The results showed that the herd-level true prevalence of PEDV infection of pig farms in Junan was 35.16 % (95 %CI: 22.91–53.89); there were two variables significantly associated with PEDV infection, which were 'having more than 1000 slaughter pigs per annum' (OR = 5.42, 95 %CI: 1.19–24.72), and 'Weaning at 21−25 days' old' (OR = 4.50, 95 %CI:1.25−16.20). The research suggested that PED was highly endemic in pig farms in Junan county; larger herd size and weaning at an earlier age were potential risk factors associated with PEDV infection in pig farms in Junan. This study set an example in the research on herd-level prevalence of PEDV infection and risk factors associated with PEDV infection, and the results were of practical significance for the future planning of prevention and control of PED in Junan or other areas of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We isolated the first Brucella strain XZ19-1 from yak in Tibet, China. • XZ19-1 strain belongs to B. abortus biovar 4, a biotype that has never been reported in China. • MLVA-16 genotyping revealed a novel profile (4-5-3-12-2-2-3-3-8-32-8-5-4-3-3-3) in XZ19-1 strain. • WGS-based phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that ZX19-1 strain was closely related to strains from European countries. Brucellosis is one of the major zoonotic diseases in the world. In China, understanding on its causative agent Brucella is still limited. Recently, we isolated a Brucella strain XZ19-1 from yak in Lhasa, Tibet. Phenotypical characterization proved that it belongs to B. abortus biovar 4, a biotype that has never been reported in China. MLVA-16 genotyping revealed a novel profile (4-5-3-12-2-2-3-3-8-32-8-5-4-3-3-3) in this strain, while MLST sequence typing demonstrated that it belongs to ST 71. Furthermore, the whole genome of XZ19-1 strain was sequenced. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that XZ19-1was genetically more closely related to B. abortus strains originated from European countries rather than to those collected from China previously. Isolation and identification of XZ19-1 strain may thus indicate a unique Brucella lineage existing in Qing-Tibet plateau. These findings will help to improve the diagnosis and epidemiological studies of brucellosis in animals and human in this part of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehending the phylogeography of invasive organisms enhances our insight into their distribution dynamics, which is instrumental for the development of effective prevention and management strategies. In China, Pomacea canaliculata and Pomacea maculata are the two most widespread and damaging species of the non-native Pomacea spp.. Given this species' rapid spread throughout country, it is urgent to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of its different geographic populations, a task undertaken in the current study using the COI and ITS1 mitochondrial and ribosomal DNA genes, respectively. The result of this study, based on a nationwide systematic survey, a collection of Pomacea spp., and the identification of cryptic species, showed that there is a degree of genetic diversity and differentiation in P. canaliculata, and that all of its variations are mainly due to differences between individuals within different geographical populations. Indeed, this species contains multiple haplotypes, but none of them form a systematic geographical population structure. Furthermore, the COI gene exhibits higher genetic diversity than the ITS1 gene. Our study further clarifies the invasive pathways and dispersal patterns of P. canaliculata in China to provide a theoretical basis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To examine associations of sleep duration and quality with cognitive impairment in older adults and the moderating role of gender and age in these associations., Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study included 4,837 participants aged 60 years and above. Cognitive function was assessed using the Chinese version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the participants were grouped based on the presence of cognitive impairment. The duration and quality of sleep were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze associations of sleep duration and quality with cognitive impairment. The role of age and gender in these associations have also been explored., Results: The age (mean ± SD) of the participants was 71.13 ± 5.50 years. Of all older adults, 1,811 (37.44%) were detected as cognitive impairment, and 1755 (36.8%) had poor sleep quality. Among those with cognitive impairment, 51.09% were female. The proportion of the participants with cognitive impairment is significantly higher in those with symptoms of depression (49.73%, 273/549) ( χ 2  = 41.275, p  < 0.001) than in those without depressive symptoms. After adjustment for multiple confounding factors and the crucial covariate (depressive symptoms), the odds ratios (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) of cognitive impairment (with 7-7.9 h regarded as the reference group) for individuals with a sleep duration of <6, 6-6.9, 8-8.9, and ≥ 9 h were 1.280 (1.053-1.557), 1.425 (1.175-1.728), 1.294 (1.068-1.566), and 1.360 (1.109-1.668), respectively. Subgroup analysis showed a V-shaped association between night sleep duration and cognitive impairment in males ( p  ≤ 0.05), and the association was stronger for individuals aged 60-80 years. With regard to sleep quality, the fully adjusted OR (95%CI) of cognitive impairment were 1.263 (1.108-1.440). According to scores of subscales in the PSQI, daytime dysfunction was associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment (OR: 1.128, 95%CI: 1.055-1.207). Subgroup analysis also revealed a statistically significant correlation between poor sleep quality (including daytime dysfunction) and cognitive impairment in different gender and age groups, with the association being stronger in females (OR: 1.287, 95%CI: 1.080-1.534) and those aged 81-97 years (OR: 2.128, 95%CI: 1.152-3.934). For cognitive impairment, the group aged 81-97 years with daytime dysfunction was associated with a higher odds ratio than other age groups., Conclusion: The present study showed that inadequate or excessive sleep was associated with cognitive impairment, especially in males, who exhibited a V-shaped association. Cognitive impairment was also associated with poor sleep quality as well as daytime dysfunction, with females and individuals aged 81-97 years exhibiting the strongest association., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer MZ declared a past collaboration with the author GC to the handling editor., (Copyright © 2024 Liu, Xu, Wei, Cheng, Sun, Yang and Chen.)

Background: Pyrethrum tatsienense (Bureau & Franch.) Ling ex C. Shih (PTLCS) belongs to the family Compositae, which is a perennial medicinal plant mainly distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of PTLCS. This review offers valuable references and guidance for researching PTLCS in depth., Methods: The related references of PTLCS were retrieved from an online database, such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, SciFinder, PubMed, SpringLink, Elsevier, Willy, CNKI, and so on., Results: PTLCS is widely reported for treating headaches, head injuries, traumatic injuries, anabrosis, impetigo, hepatitis, and other diseases in the medical field. Phytochemical research revealed that this plant contained flavonoid aglycones, flavonoid glycosides, xanthones, triterpenoids, coumarins, polyacetylenes, volatile oils, and other compounds. Meanwhile, PTLCS exhibited extensive pharmacological activities including anti-cardiac ischemia, anti-hypoxia, hepatoprotective, anti- inflammatory and analgesic, and antioxidant activities., Conclusions: PTLCS is widely used as a Tibetan medicine, which has a variety of chemicals with diverse bioactivities. Therefore, further studies are necessary to perform on the PTLCS to assay biological activities, discover their bioactive constituents, and reveal pharmacological mechanisms. This review may supply an important theoretical basis and valuable reference for in-depth research and exploitations of PTLCS., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Cucumis bisexualis is a favorite wild fruit with high nutritional and medicinal values because of its bioactive constituents. Four previously undescribed coumarin-homoisoflavonoid derivatives (1-4), together with seven known coumarin and homoisoflavonoid derivatives (5-11) were isolated from the fruits of C. bisexualis for the first time. All the compounds were elucidated by their extensive and comprehensive spectroscopic data and references. Compounds (1-11) were evaluated for their hepatoprotective activities in HepG2 cells by the acetaminophen (APAP)-induced damage model at 10.0 μM with bicyclol as the positive control. Among them, compounds 1, 3, 5, and 6 showed moderately hepatoprotective activities to improve the HepG2 cell survival rates from 51.68 ± 2.49% (APAP, 10 mM) to 71.55 ± 4.08%, 65.95 ± 4.39%, 60.77 ± 3.44%, 62.94 ± 2.30%, respectively., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Ocular changes are traditionally associated with only a few hepatobiliary diseases. These changes are non-specific and have a low detection rate, limiting their potential use as clinically independent diagnostic features. Therefore, we aimed to engineer deep learning models to establish associations between ocular features and major hepatobiliary diseases and to advance automated screening and identification of hepatobiliary diseases from ocular images., Methods: We did a multicentre, prospective study to develop models using slit-lamp or retinal fundus images from participants in three hepatobiliary departments and two medical examination centres. Included participants were older than 18 years and had complete clinical information; participants diagnosed with acute hepatobiliary diseases were excluded. We trained seven slit-lamp models and seven fundus models (with or without hepatobiliary disease [screening model] or one specific disease type within six categories [identifying model]) using a development dataset, and we tested the models with an external test dataset. Additionally, we did a visual explanation and occlusion test. Model performances were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), sensitivity, specificity, and F1* score., Findings: Between Dec 16, 2018, and July 31, 2019, we collected data from 1252 participants (from the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Affiliated Huadu Hospital of Southern Medical University, and the Nantian Medical Centre of Aikang Health Care [Guangzhou, China]) for the development dataset; between Aug 14, 2019, and Jan 31, 2020, we collected data from 537 participants (from the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and the Huanshidong Medical Centre of Aikang Health Care [Guangzhou, China]) for the test dataset. The AUROC for screening for hepatobiliary diseases of the slit-lamp model was 0·74 (95% CI 0·71-0·76), whereas that of the fundus model was 0·68 (0·65-0·71). For the identification of hepatobiliary diseases, the AUROCs were 0·93 (0·91-0·94; slit-lamp) and 0·84 (0·81-0·86; fundus) for liver cancer, 0·90 (0·88-0·91; slit-lamp) and 0·83 (0·81-0·86; fundus) for liver cirrhosis, and ranged 0·58-0·69 (0·55-0·71; slit-lamp) and 0·62-0·70 (0·58-0·73; fundus) for other hepatobiliary diseases, including chronic viral hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, cholelithiasis, and hepatic cyst. In addition to the conjunctiva and sclera, our deep learning model revealed that the structures of the iris and fundus also contributed to the classification., Interpretation: Our study established qualitative associations between ocular features and major hepatobiliary diseases, providing a non-invasive, convenient, and complementary method for hepatobiliary disease screening and identification, which could be applied as an opportunistic screening tool., Funding: Science and Technology Planning Projects of Guangdong Province; National Key R&D Program of China; Guangzhou Key Laboratory Project; National Natural Science Foundation of China., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex joint disorder characterized by sclerosis of subchondral bone. The knee is one of the most commonly affected joints. Given that the genetic mechanisms underlying knee OA remain elusive, our study aims were to first confirm the association of the TGFA gene alleles with the risk of knee OA and, second, to evaluate the relationship between peripheral TGFA concentrations and knee OA in an independent Han Chinese population. Materials and Methods: We performed a case-control study consisting of 392 knee OA patients and 808 unrelated healthy controls. Single-marker-based association analyses and haplotype-based analyses using 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were performed to confirm the association of TGFA gene alleles with the risk of knee OA. Furthermore, we used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits to detect the peripheral blood TGFA concentrations in patients and healthy controls and then evaluated the relationships between the TGFA alleles and genotypes with serum TGFA levels. Results: We replicated the genetic association of the rs2862851 T allele with the risk of knee OA ( p  = 1.68 × 10 -4 , OR  = 1.41). Moreover, we observed that the peripheral TGFA concentrations were higher in knee OA patients than in healthy controls ( p  = 8.15 × 10 -13 ). The peripheral TGFA concentrations were significantly different among the various rs2862851 genotypes for both cases ( p  = 4.16 × 10 -16 ) and controls ( p  = 7.24 × 10 -19 ). The individuals with the TT genotype in both cases and controls, had the highest peripheral TGFA concentrations. Moreover, with the increase in knee OA grade, peripheral TGFA concentration also increased ( p  = 1.36 × 10 -72 ). Conclusion: Our study confirmed the association of the TGFA gene with the risk of knee OA and identified a positive correlation between peripheral TGFA levels and the severity of knee OA in the Han Chinese population, providing clues for understanding the etiology of knee OA.

Chenopodium album Linn is used as the traditional Chinese medicine for treating cough, anorexia, piles, dysentery, diarrhea, and kills small worms in China. Nine new tropolones (1-9), and fourteen known tropolone derivatives (10-23) were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis and references from C. album Linn for the first time. Compounds (1-4) and compounds (13-14) displayed notably hepatoprotective activities in intro for lowering AST levels (19.63 ± 2.34 to 29.87 ± 1.27 U•L -1 ) and ALT levels (15.21 ± 1.18 to 20.29 ± 2.11 U•L -1 ) in HepG2 cells treated with H 2 O 2 . Compounds (8-9) and compounds (15-17) exhibited moderate antiproliferative activities in vitro against the human tumor cell lines with IC 50 values ranging from 0.5 ± 0.2 to 15.5 ± 2.7 μM. A preliminary structure activity relationship was summarized and discussed scientifically, which provided new clues to design novel hepatoprotective and antiproliferative drugs based on the tropolone derivatives., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Few studies have demonstrated the impact of characteristics like age and sex on the association between hand grip strength (HGS) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to examine the effects of sex and age on the relationship between HGS and MCI., Methods: We enrolled older adults age ≥60 years (n = 1009) and measured HGS and MCI in all participants. We analyzed the differences in MCI prevalence among the different variables. The role of sex and age in the association between MCI and HGS was analyzed using binary logistic regression., Results: Women had significantly higher prevalence of MCI than men, as did the older group (age ≥70 years) compared with the younger group (age 60-70 years). In men, the low and middle HGS tertiles were significantly associated with MCI. In contrast, only the low tertile of HGS was associated with MCI in women. In the older group, the low tertile of HGS was significantly associated with MCI, which was not observed in the younger group., Conclusions: HGS was associated with MCI in older adults, and this association was stronger in men. HGS may be useful for evaluating MCI in older adults.

Background & Aims: The EncephalApp Stroop test is a high-sensitivity but low-specificity test that has been used to identify patients with covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE). We aimed to develop a new strategy to detect CHE, combining EncephalApp Stroop test score with scores from subtests of the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy scoring system (PHES)., Methods: We performed a survey of 569 adult volunteers (229 men) in 9 communities in Shanghai, China, administering the EncephalApp Stroop test to determine the range of scores in the general population. Data from the standard PHES, including the number connection test-A, number connection test-B (NCT-B), line tracing test, serial dotting test (SDT), and digit symbol test, were used as the reference standard for diagnosis of CHE. A combination of the EncephalApp Stroop with subtests of the PHES was used to establish a new strategy for CHE diagnosis. We validated our findings using data from 160 patients with cirrhosis from 5 centers China., Results: We determined the range of EncephalApp Stroop test scores for the volunteers of different decades of age, education levels, and sexes. Age, education level, and sex were independently associated with EncephalApp Stroop test scores. A combination of scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, the NCT-B, and the SDT identified patients with CHE with the highest level of accuracy, when the standard PHES was used as the reference standard. A combination of scores of 187 sec for the EncephalApp Stroop test and below -1 for the NCT-B or below -1 for the SDT identified patients with CHE with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86, 81.0% sensitivity, and 91.9% specificity, and 87.5% accuracy. In the validation cohort, these cutoff scores identified patients with CHE with an AUC of 0.88, 97.1% sensitivity, 79.3% specificity, and 86.9% accuracy. The average time to calculate this score was 374±140 sec, compared 424±115 sec for the entire PHES., Conclusion: Scores from the EncephalApp Stroop test, NCT-B, and SDT identify patients with CHE with approximately 87% accuracy, and in a much shorter time than the standard PHES. This score combination could be a valid and convenient method for identifying patients with CHE. chictr.org.cn number, ChiCTR-EDC-17012007, ChiCTR1800019954., (Copyright © 2020 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Extensive antibiotic exposure in the general population has been documented by bio-monitoring, but data regarding antibiotic burden across three generations in families living in the same household are lacking. We investigated the distribution of antibiotics and the potential health risk among the three generations by selecting 691 participants from 256 households in Fuyang city, China. A total of 45 antibiotics and two metabolites were screened in urine samples through liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. In total, 34 antibiotics were found in the samples with an overall detection frequency of 92.0%, and the detection frequencies of individual antibiotic ranged from 0.3% to 28.7%. Specifically, the concentrations of seven antibiotics (azithromycin, amoxicillin, oxytetracycline, levofloxacin, norfloxacin, trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole) were extremely high (i.e., above 10, 000 ng/mL). The detection rates of tetracyclines were significantly different among the three generations, with parents having the highest detection rate. Penicillin V, chlortetracycline, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin showed a higher detection frequency in parents, whereas tetracycline, danofloxacin, and ofloxacin were more likely to be found in grandparents. The proportions of the sum of the daily exposure dose of VAs and PVAs more than 1 μg/kg/d in children, parents, and grandparents were 31.6%, 39.5%, and 26.5%, respectively. A hazard index (HI) greater than 1 was observed in 14.7% children, which was less than the 23.6% in parents and slightly higher than the 11.8% in grandparents. Ciprofloxacin was the biggest contributor to HI among the three generations. Collectively, these findings indicate that households are widely exposed to various antibiotics in Fuyang city, where parents had the highest health risk associated with the disturbance of gut microbiota., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interests The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recently, the widespread use of antibiotic has raised concerns about the potential health risks associated with their microbiological effect. In the present study, we investigated 990 elderly individuals (age ≥ 60 years) from the Cohort of Elderly Health and Environment Controllable Factors in West Anhui, China. A total of 45 representative antibiotics and two antibiotic metabolites were monitored in urine samples through liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The results revealed that 34 antibiotics were detected in 93.0% of all urine samples and the detection frequencies of each antibiotic varied between 0.2% and 35.5%. The overall detection frequencies of seven human antibiotics (HAs), 10 veterinary antibiotics (VAs), three antibiotics preferred as HAs (PHAs), and 14 preferred as VAs (PVAs) in urines were 27.4%, 62.9%, 30.9% and 72.7%, respectively. Notably, the samples with concentrations of six PVAs (sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, oxytetracycline, danofloxacin, norfloxacin and lincomycin) above 5000 ng/mL accounted for 1.7% of all urine samples. Additionally, in 62.7% of urine samples, the total antibiotic concentration was in the range of the limits of detection to 20.0 ng/mL. Furthermore, the elderly individuals with the sum of estimated daily intakes of VAs and PVAs more than 1 μg/kg/day accounted for 15.2% of all participants, and a health risk related to change in gut microbiota under antibiotic stimulation was expected in 6.7% of the elderly individuals. Especially, ciprofloxacin was the foremost contributor to the health risk, and its hazard quotient value was more than one in 3.5% of all subjects. Taken together, the elderly Chinese people were extensively exposed to VAs, and some elderly individuals may have a health risk associated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiota., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background/objectives: Gestational weight gain (GWG) recommendations for pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in China are lacking. The present study aims to examine whether specific GWG targets for women with GDM can improve pregnancy outcomes in comparison with GWG according to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) targets., Subjects/methods: Pregnant women diagnosed with GDM were selected from a retrospective cohort study of 8299 singleton pregnant women aged 18-45 years in 2012 (n = 1820). GWG ranges were calculated using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis (ROC targets) and the interquartile range (IR) method (the range from the 25th to 75th percentiles of the GWG among GDM women without adverse pregnancy outcomes, IR targets)., Results: The incidences of small for gestational age (SGA) births and pregnancy hypertension among women with GDM who gained weight within the ROC targets were lower than the incidences in women who gained weight within the IOM targets (SGA, 7.5% vs. 8.6%; pregnancy hypertension, 12.6% vs. 14.1%; both P < 0.05). GWG was associated with a risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the total sample (estimated values ranged from -2.95 to 2.08, all P < 0.05). No statistically significant associations between GWG and adverse pregnancy outcomes were observed in subgroups of pregnant women with appropriate GWGs according to the ROC, IR, and IOM targets. The ROC targets exhibited higher negative predictive values for adverse pregnancy outcomes than the IR and IOM targets., Conclusion: The ROC targets improved pregnancy outcomes and thus represent potential special GWG guidelines for women with GDM in China.

Patients with a hip fracture are at high risk for pressure injury. A retrospective review of the electronic medical records of consecutive patients with a hip fracture treated in 2016 in a single tertiary hospital in east China were examined to investigate whether time of year affected the incidence of hospital-acquired pressure injury. Data collected included demographic characteristics (patient name, hospital number, age, gender, and body mass index); possible risk factors for pressure injury, such as presence of diabetes mellitus, admission hemoglobin, admission albumin, length of surgery, and the lowest and/or last Braden Scale score before pressure injury developed; and pressure injury information, which included time of occurrence (days after surgery), location (sacrum and coccyx, ischial tuberosity, or heel), stage, and treatment outcome. Pressure injury incidence was calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in each month and season (spring, summer, autumn, and winter). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated as estimates of risk. Multivariate logistic regression was used for risk factors. Of the 235 patients with a hip fracture included in the study, 95 (40.4%) were male, 140 (59.6%) were female, and mean age was 70.4 ± 10.5 (range 48-81) years. Thirty-one (31) patients (13.2%, 95% CI 9.1%-18.2%) developed 37 pressure injuries, 30 of which (81.1%) were Stage 1. The incidence of pressure injury was lowest in November (5.0%; 95% CI: 0.0%-24.9%) and highest in June (22.7%; 95% CI: 7.8%-45.4%). Average Braden Scale scores (14.2 ± 3.2) were lower in June than in November (16.6 ± 3.5), owing to differences in the Braden Scale skin moisture subscale. Seasonally, the incidence of pressure ulcers was 20.8% (95% CI: 12.2%-32.0%) in the summer compared to 7.5% (2.5%-16.6%) in autumn (crude OR 3.3; 95% CI:1.0-12.1; P = .025). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the Braden Scale score was the only independent risk factor (P <.05) for pressure injury incidence. Adjusting for the Braden score, the OR of summer season was 1.537 (95% CI: 0.964-2.872). The findings suggest that humidity and temperature levels, which are very high in the summer in China, may affect pressure injury incidence and that the Braden Scale score - especially the skin-moisture level subscore - is a valid predictor of pressure injury risk in this population. While more research is needed, additional pressure injury prevention strategies should be provided for patients hospitalized with a hip fracture in the summer months.

Objective: To implement a two-level community-based health education pattern of schistosomiasis in residents of endemic areas in marshland and lake regions, so as to explore the suitable pattern of health education under hypo-endemic situation., Methods: Two schistosomiasis endemic villages in Jiangling County, Hubei Province were collected as study areas, and among which, one village was treated as an intervention group, where the two-level community-based health education pattern as well as regular control measures was implemented; the other village was a control group, where only regular control measures were implemented. The awareness rates on schistosomiasis control, the rates of correct behavior and the compliance rates of examination, treatment and chemotherapy of the two groups before and after the intervention were compared., Results: According to the results of the baseline survey in 2014, the awareness rates of schistosomiasis control of the intervention and control groups were 84.00% and 77.45%, respectively, the correct rates of behavior of the two groups were 72.00% and 63.73%, respectively, and the compliance rates of the treatment were 80.36% and 82.28%, respectively, there were no statistically significant differences between all the above rates of the two groups (all P > 0.05). After the intervention of the two-level community-based health education, the correct rates of behavior, and the compliance rates of examination and chemotherapy of the two groups were 92.31% and 80.37%, 95.11% and 82.55%, 84.13% and 63.64%, respectively, and the differences between all the rates above of the two groups were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). When compared to those before intervention, the growing rates of the compliance rates of examination, treatment and chemotherapy of the intervention group were 20.97%, 15.33% and 23.29%, respectively, while those of control group were 14.27%, 4.17%, -3.77%, respectively, the growing rates of the intervention groups were higher than those of the control groups., Conclusions: Through the two-level community-based pattern of health education, the compliance rates of examination and treatment of the residents have improved, and therefore, the pattern is suitable for popularization and application in marshland and lake regions.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the association between apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Uyghur ethnic men in Xinjiang, China., Participants: A total of 482 patients with MetS and 510 healthy sex-matched and age-matched controls were recruited from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. The participants were subjected to routine physical and blood biochemical tests, and APOE genotyping was performed., Results: The APOE ε3/3 was the predominant type, with a frequency of 71.8%, while ε2/2 was less common than ε4/4 in Uyghur males. The frequencies of the APOE2, E3 and E4 alleles in Uyghur males were 8.5%, 80.0% and 11.5%, respectively. However, the distribution of APOE genotypes was significantly different between the MetS and control groups (p<0.001). In the MetS group, the frequencies of the ε2 and ε4 alleles and the frequencies of the ε2/2, ε2/3 and ε2/4 genotypes were significantly lower than those of the control group. Those individuals without the ε2 and ε4 alleles had higher MetS prevalence than the other gene carriers, and the ORs of these individuals developing MetS were 1.5 and 1.27 compared to the gene carriers. Triglyceride, serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower and serum high-density lipoprotein was higher in the ε2 carriers than the ε3 carriers, and the prevalence of MetS, central obesity, high blood pressure, hypercholesterolaemia and hypertriglyceridaemia was lower in the APOE2 group than in the APOE4 group. The risks of these individuals with ε4 allele carriers getting these changes were 1.327, 1.780, 1.888, 1.428 and 2.571 times greater than those of ε2 allele carriers., Conclusions: APOE4 is associated with many individual components of MetS, whereas APOE2 was associated with a reduced risk of MetS at the univariate level in Uyghur ethnic men., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

The prevalence of hypertensive disorders in China was much higher than that in the United States. Considering the large population with wide geographic area of China, we aimed to add more information regarding the risk factors for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. A case-control study was performed on 373 hypertensive cases and 507 normotensive controls. Participants were recruited from 2008 to 2014 in Yichang Maternal and Child Health Care Center in Hubei province and Anyang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Henan province, China. Socio-demographic factors, family- related factors, pregnancy-associated factors, factors related to daily life behaviors and psychosocial factors were investigated with respect to hypertensive disorders in pregnancy through well-designed questionnaire. Chi-square test, t-test, univariate logistic regression analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to find the possible risk factors behind hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. The results showed that family history of cardiovascular diseases (OR=6.18, 95% CI, 2.37 to 16.14), history of pregnancy-induced hypertension (OR=16.64, 95% CI, 5.74 to 48.22), low maternal educational level (OR=2.81, 95% CI, 1.30 to 6.04), and poor relationship with their parents-in-law (OR=3.44, 95% CI, 1.55 to 7.59) had statistically significant associations with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy through multivariate logistic regression analysis. Increased maternal age, increased pre-pregnancy body mass index, living in rural area, low paternal education level, family history of hypertension, passive smoking one year before and/or in pregnancy, and poor sleeping quality were significantly associated with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy from univariate logistic regression analysis while the associations became uncertain when they were entered for multivariate logistic regression analysis. It was concluded that family history of cardiovascular diseases, history of pregnancy-induced hypertension, low maternal educational level, and poor relationship with their parents-in-law were independent risk factors for hypertensive disorders among Chinese pregnant women.

Aim: To evaluate the frequency of use of various treatment modalities for Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) in China by conducting a preliminary survey of relevant literature., Methods: All papers regarding the treatment of BCS in Chinese patients were identified by searching PubMed, Chinese Scientific and Technological Journal, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. Data regarding the number of BCS patients treated with different treatment modalities over time were collected. The proportions of BCS patients undergoing various treatment modalities were calculated., Results: Overall, 300 of 3005 papers initially retrieved were included. These papers included 23352 BCS patients treated with different treatment modalities. The treatment modalities include surgery (n = 8625), interventional treatment (n = 13940), surgery combined with interventional treatment (n = 363), medical therapy (n = 277), other treatments (n = 91), and no treatment (n = 56). After 2005, the number of BCS patients treated with surgery was drastically decreased, but the number of BCS patients who underwent interventional treatment was almost maintained. Shunt surgery was the most common type of surgery (n = 3610). Liver transplantation was rarely employed (n = 2). Balloon angioplasty with or without stenting was the most common type of interventional treatment (n = 13747). Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt was rarely employed (n = 81)., Conclusion: Selection of treatment modalities for BCS might be different between China and Western countries. Further work should be necessary to establish a unanimous therapeutic strategy for BCS in China.

Background: The Internet is increasingly being applied in health education worldwide; however there is little knowledge of its use in Chinese higher education institutions. The present study provides the first review and highlights the deficiencies and required future advances in Chinese Internet-based health education., Methods: Two authors independently conducted a duplicate Internet search in order to identify information regarding Internet-based health education in China., Results: The findings showed that Internet-based education began in China in September 1998. Currently, only 16 of 150 (10.7%) health education institutions in China offer fee-based online undergraduate degree courses, awarding associates and/or bachelors degrees. Fifteen of the 16 institutions were located in the middle or on the eastern coast of China, where were more developed than other regions. Nursing was the most popular discipline in Internet-based health education, while some other disciplines, such as preventive medicine, were only offered at one university. Besides degree education, Chinese institutions also offered non-degree online training and free resources. The content was mainly presented in the form of PowerPoint slides or videos for self-learning. Very little online interactive mentoring was offered with any of the courses., Conclusions: There is considerable potential for the further development of Internet-based health education in China. These developments should include a focus on strengthening cooperation among higher education institutions in order to develop balanced online health curricula, and on enhancing distance education in low- and middle-income regions to meet extensive learning demands.

Objective: To explore the integrated application of sales of child-specific over-the-counter (OTC) cold related medications in retail pharmacies and healthcare visits of children for influenza-like illness (ILI) in surveillance and early warning of influenza among children., Methods: An integrated surveillance system (ISS) was implemented since 2012 in Qianjiang County, a rural area in Hubei Province of China. The daily information from August 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013 of health care visits of children for ILI reported by 80 health facilities and sales of 14 child-specific over-the-counter (OTC) cold related medications reported by 11 pharmacies were extracted from ISS database. Cumulative sums (CUSUM) model was conducted to analyze the degree of fitting and the early warning signal generated; the correlationship was then analyzed further., Results: In 212 days, 983 visits of children for ILI and 12 819 sales by person of child-specific OTC were reported. Conducting CUSUM model, the fitting degree was in the acceptable range, 31 warning signals were generated from ILI data series with 3 peak periods and 14 from OTC data series with 2 peak periods. A similar time trend of two data series was observed with a correlation(r = 0.497, P < 0.05), but without any spatial clustering. And the optimal correlation(r = 0.505, P < 0.05) appeared at a time offset of 4 days preceded by OTC sales., Conclusion: The availability of integrated surveillance system for symptoms could be applied for surveillance of influenza among children; while it could explore the possibility of real epidemic in the very early stage.

Objective: To study the pathogenic ecology characteristics of plague in Qinghai plateau., Methods: Applied molecular biology techniques, conventional technologies and geographic information system (GIS) to study phenotypic traits, plasmid spectrum, genotype, infected host and media spectrum etc.of 952 Yersinia pestis strains in Qinghai plateau plague foci, which were separated from different host and media in different regions during 1954 to 2012., Results: The ecotypes of these strains were Qingzang plateau (91.49%, 871/952),Qilian mountain (6.41%, 61/952) and Microtus fuscus (1.26%, 12/952).83.6% (796/952) of these strains contained all the 4 virulence factors (Fr1, Pesticin1,Virulence antigen, and Pigmentation), 93.26% (367/392) were velogenic strains confirmed by virulence test.725 Yersinia pestis strains were separated from Qinghai plateau plague foci carried 9 kinds of plasmid, among which 713 strains from Marmot himalayan plague foci carried 9 kinds of plasmid, the Mr were 6×10(6), 7×10(6), 23×10(6), 27×10(6), 30×10(6), 45×10(6), 52×10(6), 65×10(6) and 92×10(6) respectively. 12 Yersinia pestis strains were separated from Microtus fuscus plague foci carried only 3 kinds of plasmid, the Mr were 6×10(6), 45×10(6), 65×10(6). Meanwhile, the strains carrying large plasmid (52×10(6), 65×10(6) and 92×10(6)) were only distributed in particular geographical location, which had the category property. The research also confirmed that 841 Yersinia pestis strains from two kinds of plague foci in Qinghai plateau had 11 genomovars. The strains of Marmot himalayan plague foci were given priority to genomovar 5 and 8, amounted to 611 strains, genomovar 8 accounted for 56.00% (471/841), genomovar 5 accounted for 23.07% (194/841). Besides, 3 new genomovars, including new 1(62 strains), new 2(52 strains), new 3(48 strains) were newly founded, and 12 strains of Microtus fuscus plague foci were genomovar 14., Conclusion: The main host and media of Qinghai plateau plague foci directly affected the spatial distribution regularities of plague epidemic and the pathogens characteristics, meanwhile the polymorphism of plague ecological geographic landscape leds to the complexity of Yersinia pestis' genotype.

Objective: To analyze the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and overweight and obesity among elementary school children., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September to November, 2010. A stratified random cluster sampling was used from sampling frame of eight provinces by the geographical and economic development distributions in mainland China. A total of 19 934 students aged 7-12 years old participated in this study. All subjects were evaluated the status of overweight and obesity. Green's scoring SES was used to evaluate the SES of the participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between SES and overweight and obesity among children., Results: According to the scores of Green's SES, the participants' SES were divided into three levels, the prevalence of overweight were 7.4% (538/7295), 9.3% (560/6013) and 12.6% (832/6626), and the prevalence of obesity were 4.4% (321/7295) , 6.4% (387/6013) and 10.2% (677/6626) from low to high SES level, respectively (χ(2) value were 133.82, 180.27, respectively, P < 0.01). After adjusted by age, urban and rural and economic regions, compared with the participants with low SES, the OR (95%CI) of having overweight and obesity among participants with high SES were 1.83(1.61-2.08) for boys and 1.67(1.42-2.00) for girls; the OR (95%CI) with middle SES were 1.30(1.15-1.48) for boys and 1.23(1.04-1.46) for girls., Conclusion: The prevalence of overweight and obesity rises with the family's SES levels. There was a positive correlation between SES and overweight and obesity among school-aged children.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can be used as prognostic biomarkers in many types of cancer. We aimed to identify miRNAs that were prognostic in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma., Methods: We retrospectively analysed miRNA expression profiles in 312 paraffin-embedded specimens of nasopharyngeal carcinoma from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China) and 18 specimens of non-cancer nasopharyngitis. Using an 873 probe microarray, we assessed associations between miRNA signatures and clinical outcome in a randomly selected 156 samples (training set) and validated findings in the remaining 156 samples (internal validation set). We confirmed the miRNAs signature using quantitative RT-PCR analysis in 156 samples from a second randomisation of the 312 samples, and validated the miRNA signature in 153 samples from the West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China (independent set). We used the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests to estimate correlations of the miRNA signature with disease-free survival (DFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival., Findings: 41 miRNAs were differentially expressed between nasopharyngeal carcinoma and non-cancer nasopharyngitis tissues. A signature of five miRNAs, each significantly associated with DFS, was identified in the training set. We calculated a risk score from the signature and classified patients as high risk or low risk. Compared with patients with low-risk scores, patients with high risk scores in the training set had shorter DFS (hazard ratio [HR] 2·73, 95% CI 1·46-5·11; p=0·0019), DMFS (3·48, 1·57-7·75; p=0·0020), and overall survival (2·48, 1·24-4·96; p=0·010). We noted equivalent findings in the internal validation set for DFS (2·47, 1·32-4·61; p=0·0052), DMFS (2·28, 1·09-4·80; p=0·030), and overall survival (2·87, 1·38-5·96; p=0·0051) and in the independent set for DFS (3·16, 1·65-6·04; p=0·0011), DMFS (2·39, 1·05-5·42; p=0·037), and overall survival (3·07, 1·34-7·01; p=0·0082). The five-miRNA signature was an independent prognostic factor. A combination of this signature and TNM stage had better prognostic value than did TNM stage alone in the training set (area under receiver operating characteristics 0·68 [95% CI 0·60-0·76] vs 0·60 [0·52-0·67]; p=0·013), the internal validation set (0·70 [0·61-0·78] vs 0·61 [0·54-0·68]; p=0·012), and the independent set (0·70 [0·62-0·78] vs 0·63 [0·56-0·69]; p=0·032)., Interpretation: Identification of patients with the five-miRNA signature might add prognostic value to the TNM staging system and inform treatment decisions for patients at high risk of progression., Funding: Science Foundation of Chinese Ministry of Health, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Pearl River Scholar Funded Scheme, Guangdong Key Scientific and Technological Innovation Program, Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: A crucial goal of infectious disease surveillance is the early detection of epidemics, which is essential for disease control. In China, the current surveillance system is based on confirmed case reports. In rural China, it is not practical for health units to perform laboratory tests to confirm disease and people are more likely to get 'old' and emerging infectious diseases due to poor living conditions and closer contacts with wild animals and poultry. Syndromic surveillance, which collects non-specific syndromes before diagnosis, has great advantages in promoting the early detection of epidemics and reducing the necessities of disease confirmation. It will be especially effective for surveillance in resource poor settings., Methods/design: This is a field experimental study. The experimental tool is an innovative electronic surveillance system, combining syndromic surveillance with the existing case report surveillance in four selected counties in China. In the added syndromic surveillance, three types of data are collected including patients' major symptoms from health clinics, pharmaceutical sales from pharmacies and absenteeism information from primary school. In order to evaluate the early warning capability of the new added syndromic surveillance, the timelines and validity of the alert signals will be analyzed in comparison with the traditional case reporting system. The acceptability, feasibility and economic evaluation of the whole integrated surveillance system will be conducted in a before and after study design., Discussions: Although syndromic surveillance system has mostly been established in developed areas, there are opportunities and advantages of developing it in rural China. The project will contribute to knowledge, experience and evidence on the establishment of an integrated surveillance system, which aims to provide early warning of disease epidemics in developing countries.

Marine sponge Hymeniacidon sp. was collected from coastal waters of the East China Sea to isolate symbiotic microorganisms. The resulting sponge-associated actinomycete, Streptomyces carnosus strain AZS17, was cultivated in a 20 L volume of medium for production of bioactive secondary metabolites. Bioassay-guided isolation and purification by varied chromatographic methods yielded two new compounds of kijanimicin derivatives, AS7-2 and AS9-12. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopy and comparison with literatures. Results showed these two compounds were structurally similar to the previously reported compounds lobophorin A and B, yet differed in specific bond forms, stereochemistry and optical activities. The two novel compounds were named lobophorin C and D. In vitro cytotoxicity investigation by MTT assay indicated their selective activities. Lobophorin C displayed potent cytotoxic activity against the human liver cancer cell line 7402, while lobophorin D showed significant inhibitory effect on human breast cancer cells MDA-MB 435.

Objective: To review and analyze the history and current situation of stomatological journals in China from 1949 to 2009., Methods: The data from journal database, web sites and yearbooks were collected, and the information on Chinese dental journals, national economic indicators and the development in dental disciplines from 1949 to 2009 were obtained., Results: The dental journals numbered one kind, four issues in 1949 and 32 kinds, 204 issues in 2009. China's gross domestic product (GDP) was from 67.9 billion Yuan in 1949 to 30.067 trillion Yuan in 2008., Conclusions: The quantity of stomatological journals in China has increased remarkably over the past 60 years.

Objective: To study the biological characteristics of Yersinia pestis and to develop prevention and control program on plague in Sanjiangyuan areas, Qinghai province., Methods: To identify the biologic types and molecular biological features of Y.pestis isolated in Sanjiangyuan area from 1954-2007., Results: Among the 411 strains of Y. pestis, 12 strains belonged to the microtus type Y. pestis with denitrification (-) and donkey-hide gelatin carbohydrate (-) and glycerine (+). 399 strains belonged to classic type Y. pestis with denitrification (+) and donkey-hide gelatin carbohydrate (+) and glycerine (+). 411 Y. pestis strains had factor F I and Pst I. Among them, VW+ strains of Y. pestis accounted for 95.13% (391/411), VW-accounted for 4.87% (20/411), Pgm(+) accounted for 80.78% (332/ 411), Pgm(+/-) accounted for 9% (37/411) and Pgm(-) accounted for 10.22% (42/411) respectively. 96.82% (213/220) of the Y. pestis strains showed strong virulence to laboratory mice while 3.18% (7/220) of the strains carried medium virulence. 90.02% of the tested Y. pestis (370/411) strains had 6 x10(6), 45 x 10(6), 65 x 10(6) plasmids. 8 types of genome were found among 80 strains of Y. pestis, with 6 of them resembling ZHOU Dongsheng' s classification. Two new genome types were found., Conclusion: The Y. pestis in the Sanjiangyuan area had the characteristics of plague pathogen, identified in Qinghai-Tibet plateau. It is estimated that human beings are highly susceptible to the disease which spread fast, causing serious signs and symptoms with high death rate.

Objective: Successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) requires reconstitution normal T-cell immunity. Measurement of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) and T-cell receptor beta (TCRBV) CDR3 repertoire is a means of quantifying recent thymic T-cell production and reflecting antigen-specific T-cell clones proliferation., Methods: We used real-time quantitative PCR to detect TRECs from 43 Chinese patients who underwent three kind of allo-HSCT without T-cell depletion. RT-PCR was performed to amplify 24 subfamily genes of TCRBV in 24 patients of them., Results: For haploidentical-D group, the TRECs numbers were lower up to 24 months. For matched-sibling donor (MSD) group, the recovery of TRECs was faster than those of other two groups. TRECs values in matched-unrelated donor (MUD) were in the middle. During 2-19 months after transplantation, there were 6-16 BV subfamilies expressed and 33-48% of them were polyclones. The usage rate of TCRBV and percentage of polyclones in haploidentical-D were less than those of other two groups. Twenty-three CDR3 molecules were obtained from nine patients who were potentially associated with GVHD or CMV infection., Conclusions: Analyzing the changes of TCRBV repertoire and measuring TRECs during immune reconstitution would be useful to determine the host's current immune status and ability of T-cell immune reconstitution and also to find antigen-specific T-cell clones in the three kinds of HSCT.